Just what, pray tell, is wrong with ‘trifling’?
Seems to fit the mood of the OP well.
Also, I believe the use of words such as “ain’t” and "spankin’ " are an attempt at levity in the post.
Of course, I would prefer to have a College teach that spoke like that- Would imply that they might actually have a personality.
I dunno about “trifling” but if I had a teacher using phrases like
I wouldn’t take them all too seriously. I sincerely hope that was an attempt at creating levity.
From my undergrad days (not that long ago, graduated in '01) whether or not I showed up on time or at all really depended on who was teaching the class, same thing for whether or not I bothered to participate while in class. Some professors were just so mind numbingly dull and apathetic about the material (can you say “tenure”?) that I wouldn’t bother showing up half the time, or would show up chronically late. One marketing prof I had actually took attendance so I’d show up to be counted, then ten minutes into to class slip away for a bathroom break and hang out in the student center until just before class ended, showing up just in time to get next week’s assignment and to collect my stuff. I finished that class with an A.
Other profs were fairly average, and won enough respect from me that I would attend consistantly and be prepared when I was there. A few wonderful and inspired proffessors actually managed to stimulate the kind of solid intellectual debate and discussion that everyone expects when they enroll at University. Those classes were teriffic, always showed up on time or early, always prepared for whatever we might discuss had a great time and learned a lot. I was even on a first name basis with a few profs like that by the time I graduated.
All told I’d say the split between shitty - acceptable - inspired profs was about 25/50/25%, respectivly. I don’t know what subject or in what manner the OP teaches but perhaps some of the blame lies with the way celestina teaches? Maybe you should try and figure out why it is that your not reaching the students and find a better method of holding their attention instead of just blowing them off as trifling.
One side note though, no matter who was teaching or how much I loved the class I was never able to be consistantly on time to any class that began before 10am. Just didn’t happen.
Nothing wrong with trifling. But, it could be indicitive of the personality of the teacher. Which in this case is probably stuffy.
“Stuffy” as in stuffed shirt. Full of himself, etc. Most people who use this sort of verbiage tend to be this way. Or they are flakey. Either way it is annoying. Kind of like people who wear pocket protectors. You want to inform them of the image they put across, but you’re quite sure they wouldn’t understand or they’d be hurt by what you’re saying to them.
Irregardless, first rule in writing is to write to your audience. Same as in speaking. If the teacher can’t engage his audience is it the fault of the audience, or the fault of the teacher?
No, the first rule in writing is to not use made-up words like “irregardless.” 
Anyway, it would be helpful to the progress of this thread if the OP would return and let us know what subject she teaches and at what level.
(I’m assuming celestina is a she. Apologies if otherwise.)
Actually it is a word. Just not a very good one.
“Trifling” is a word that I usually associate with the opposite personality of which you describe.
Also, from what I know of celestina; “stuffy” would not be a word used to describe her.
As far as stuffing her shirt…I dunno. You will have to ask her yourself. 
It depends on the class, too. One of my government classes just covered stuff that was in the book and, since it was U.S. Government, I’d had everything drilled into my head a long time ago, so I just didn’t show up very often and did fine in the class.
I’m in college now.
I don’t really care if you don’t show up. If you can get the material on your own, and pass, good for you. If you don’t and fail, that’s no skin off my nose.
My problem is people who are late. This column in our student newspaper is whining about students being late and getting locked out. While I don’t know that I’d support locking late students out, I dislike lateness immensely. There are a few students in my classes that are 15 to 30 minutes late EVERY DAY.
Disrupting, impolite, unacceptable.
So do I and I loved every moment in his class. Loved.
I just entered the major thinking every class would be like that, powerful, thought provoking, deep, new horizons, etc, etc…and I’ve had one. I’m a senior.
As opposed to my engineering classes, where every one of them is a blood and bone fight on a weekly basis. Worthy stuff all, but very challenging. I’d like to see more of that challenge echoed in my philosophy classes rather than me showing up prepared, turning in assignments on time, and everyone else not bothering to read and getting two week extensions for a three page paper.
I love philosophy, but I generally want to off 80% of my classmates.
El Hubbo and I went out to dinner last night and got to talking with our server, Holly.
She told us that she had quit her job teaching science at the high school level because of the incredible level of stupidity.
Lots of incidents, but here’s the straw that broke the camel’s back: She failed a student who rarely showed up to class, never turned in a homework assignment and failed every single open-book test she gave. The parents and the principal pressured her into giving him a D.
Buh-bye. Workin’ at Old Chicago serving pizza is better than that bullshit.
I agree. Last semester, I had a professor that would routinely finish up late. I don’t like being late to my next class, but I also think it’s rude to start packing up in the middle of a lecture/leaving in the middle of a lecture, and it’s a bad idea when the prof waits to the very last minute to give an assignment. As a result, I was constantly late to my next class–not too bad, just a few minutes, but late.
What did I do? I went and talked to both professors. With the one who would routinely run over, it didn’t help, but with my next professor it did. Just a simple “Sorry I’m always late, but it’s my class before that always runs over” did the trick. So he knew I wasn’t being intentionally rude (always arriving out of breath from running across campus probably helped).
Actually, I sometimes do this. I occasionally oversleep badly or I simply had to finish or test or something, so instead of going, say, to my 8 o’clock class in the middle I just don’t bother and go to my 9 o’clock instead. My personal cut-off is about five to ten minutes. Of course, I only do that with a class where I can afford to miss a day.
At my undergrad school (RPI) I was a tutor for a couple of semesters, the attitude was that the professors present, the students learn. If you didn’t want to show up, nobody really cared, you were still responsible for learning the material. Believe me, if you didn’t learn the material, nobody was going to cut you a break, I know plenty of people who failed out.
My opinion is that this is exactly how college should be, you choose to be there, you choose the classes, you can choose to screw off and wind up with no degree. Showing up late and disrupting class is another story entirely…
Oh dear, I’ve rather a lot on my plate at the moment, so I’ll do a quick response for now.
First, I’d like to thank those Dopers what’ve shared their teaching/student experiences in this thread.
Second, I’d like to make clear that I don’t judge all students to be trifling. I understand that somedays folks can’t help but be late and/or unprepared. Shit happens. What I take issue with is students continuing to be rude and disrespectful.
Third, I’d like to say that it shouldn’t matter what level or what subject I teach. My rant involves issues of professionalism, responsibility, and respect. I do find it quite telling that some folks have the nerve to come up in my thread and deem me to be at fault for students’ lack of respect not only towards me, but towards their classmates who do care enough to come to class on time and be prepared. All of a sudden because I have a Southern accent–and I’m damn proud of it and my Southern roots–and can and do code switch with the best of them, I’m ignorant and and my perspective judged unworthy of respect by some of y’all Dopers what don’t know me from Eve. 
I’m at a loss, I tell you. But, I just don’t have time to give the appropriate folks the virtual spankings they so rightly deserve :mad:, this being the Pit and all. Still, I will say that this trend to blame the teacher for the irresponsible behavior of students is exactly the kind of trifling behavior that I detest, and that forces many dedicated teachers like Gazelle from Hell’s waitress, Holly out of the profession. It’s what I mean when I complain–as I so often do–about how many teachers don’t get support from the administration they work for nor from parents.
I’m not saying that teachers are perfect, nor am I saying that there aren’t some teachers out there who are not doing a good job teaching. We are all human, and even the best teachers make mistakes. However, what I take issue with is the fact that many times folks just find it easier to blame the teacher, when the folks who need to be held accountable for their acts are the students and to some extent the parents.
I am a teacher. I’m passionate about what I do–that is why I am not working at Burger King or waiting tables like poor Holly–and I have high expectations of my students. I do not think that I am being unreasonable in asking students to meet me halfway. If you think about it, being on time and being prepared are behaviors that most jobs require of their workers. Why can I not expect the same behavior from students who opt to take my class, particularly when students go to school presumably to get a job someday? Don’t you think that the sooner students learn how to be professional, the better things will be for them in the long run? Going to school ain’t never really been just about book learning. It’s the truly intelligent ones what learn that. Some, like WhiteLightning, only have to get spanked once to figure things out. Then there’s others, what may not learn at all. Oh, WhiteLightning, don’t worry. I do have penalties for students what can’t be on time and prepared.
Oh, and Spit, sugar, thank you for defending my honor. You’re right. I ain’t stuffy, nor do I stuff my shirt. 
The students will be later paying gor it becase if they failed to study, causing them to fail the class, they will not have the appropriate skils to get a good job.
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One day I was complaining that someone was being trifling, and the girl who overheard me thought I was using a “big fancy word” and asked for a definition.
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